Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has defended her earlier comments on supporting small-scale businesses like akara selling as part of ongoing empowerment initiatives, while appealing to prominent entertainers to do more to alleviate poverty through structured philanthropy.
Speaking today during the launch of the National Community Food Bank Programme in Lokoja, Kogi State, the First Lady addressed recent public discourse surrounding her remarks on petty trading. She emphasized that government efforts through the Renewed Hope Initiative have provided grants to thousands of women engaged in small businesses, including pepper, vegetable, okra, melon, akara, and kulikuli sellers.
“I want to appeal to our young ones in the entertainment industry. I have mentioned it before, and I will use Akon, a music icon who does a lot of great charity work,” Senator Tinubu stated. “The Burna Boys of this world, the Asakes, all of them, Davido we want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money.”
The First Lady highlighted the significant burden on government resources and urged celebrities to complement national efforts by establishing sustainable charitable foundations. She noted that luxury items are fine but encouraged giving back to support vulnerable traders and the less privileged.
In her defense of the akara comment, Mrs. Tinubu referenced real-world successes, including a graduate in Abuja who received support to start an akara business and now employs 12 people. She reiterated that such interventions, alongside grants of N50,000 to recapitalize small businesses, are making tangible differences in communities.
The First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative continues to focus on women’s empowerment, health interventions, and food security programs across the country. She called for collective action from all sectors to build a more prosperous Nigeria.